I am a pro-life Christian, But...
I am a pro-life Christian. I believe that one abortion is one too many. But If you are protesting in the front of an abortion clinic: you are too late. You are not getting to the heart of the issue and are wasting good time and energy that could be better spent. I understand why you are there- but in our cultural context, it will be misunderstood and detrimental to the very solution you are working towards.
The heart of the issue is that we should all work to make the world a place that doesn’t let any women get to a place where she feels abortion is her only option. This could mean building friendships with women so they feel supported. This could mean discipling and training boys to value women and take responsibility for their actions: this can mean a million and one things before it means protesting in front of an abortion clinic or becoming one-issue voters.
Four things I believe we DO need to be doing:
Working towards better and easier birth control. Birth control for men. Over the counter birth control. Cheap birth control. Many different forms of birth control (because one size does not fit all).
Creating more pregnancy centers and resources for pregnant women. Ones that are focusing on helping the women that goes into the abortion clinic- equally as well as the one who leaves after having an abortion.
Making better adoption policies. I don’t assume to know anything about this world of adoption, it I know it can be made better!
Implementing different sexual education. Where abstenance is valued as a viable option. Where bodies and explained and valued. Where the focus is on learning tools to build trust and protection for men and women- inside and outside of a sexual relationship. Where consent is first and foremost, and you can talk about protection with your partner before you have sex. (This is all true and needed for sex before and after marriage: we cannot force people who do not claim to follow Jesus to follow the way Jesus says to do things morally).
It is important we understand the cultural context, and the bad experiences at-risk women have commonly had with people who protest at abortion clinics. We don’t know how that woman got to where they are going into that abortion clinic- but they didn’t choose to get there- no one wants an abortion- they just feel it is the most viable (or only) option they have.
Standing in front of an abortion clinic- even in 100% love, will be seen as hostile to someone desperate enough to get an abortion, especially as that women will probably already have detrimental experiences with similar people who stand in front of abortion clinics. So what can we all (pro-life and pro-abortion) agree is a good solution for everyone, Christian and non Christian?
That we want to get to a place where no woman feels that abortion is her only viable option. Those who are pro-choice are working to give women more choices- and so should those who are pro-life (we just hope those choices don’t include abortion).
I am a pro-life Christian. I believe that one abortion is one too many. But let’s work together towards a world where no women feels that abortion is her only viable option in the first place.
I was very influenced by the HOLY POST PODCAST episode 352 (the first 20 minutes) and think it is important to realize how many pro-life Christians have gotten sidetracked in politics rather than the heart of the matter, which I summarized in the paragraph above. Also: